The American Presidency

Wielding large portfolios under their arms, political history curators Larry Bird and Harry Rubenstein of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History will wind their way through the crowds at the GOP and Democratic National Conventions, not to find a better spot to see the podium, but to scout out the best political signs. Since the late 1980s, the duo have been attending political campaigns and collecting signs, buttons, posters, hats, sunglasses and other novelties that speak to the atmosphere of the conventions.

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History is adding Benjamin Franklin’s three-piece silk suit, worn on his diplomatic trip to France in 1778 that resulted in the signing of the Treaty of Alliance, to its permanent collection.